Hand duplicator



Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Claims.

This invention relates to hand duplicators of the character of those employing a. rocking frame carrying an inking blanket constituting a backing for a stencil sheet and the object of the inven- 5 tion is to provide an extremely simple, economical and easily handled article of this sort.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a duplicator constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough; and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

The duplicator of the present invention comprises a pair of transversely disposed end blocks 5 of wood. A piece of sheet metal is bent to form the opposed side walls 6 and a longitudinally curved bottom I. This bottom is provided with a multiplicity of perforations 8 through which ink applied to a limited extent to the interior of the device may find its way to a blanket 9 which covers the bottom I and is in turn covered by the stencil sheet Ill, cut in the usual fashion upon a typewriter, or otherwise, to provide any desired message or design. When the article is rocked back and forth over a sheet of paper or other surface, the typewriting or other design will be reproduced upon such surface. The sheet metal bottom I does not extend as far out at its ends, as the side walls 6 but, as is illustrated in Fig. 2, only partially overlaps the bottoms of the blocks 5 so there is an exposed part of the wood of the blocks into which tacks H may be driven for the purpose of holding the blanket drawn taut over the perforate bottom 1. Thus the blanket is firmly held in place in this simple and inexpensive way during the time that one stencil sheet is being removed and another is being applied. The stencil sheets are held in place by bars 12; grooves l3 being provided in the block 5 for the reception of said bars, the placing of the bars in the grooves, binding the ends of the stencil sheet beneath them and drawing the stencil sheet taut.

Swinging keepers l4, pivotally mounted upon bolts l5, overlie the bars when the latter are in place and these keepers in turn are pressed forcibly on the bars by the tightening of thumb nuts 15, upon the bolts I5. The bars are further held in place by being made of such length as to fit relatively snuglybetween the side walls 6 and these side walls aid in preventing the bars from falling out of place during the time the keepers I l are being adjusted and the thumb nuts iii are being tightened.

I am aware of the fact that it has heretofore been proposed to employ duplicators having arouate under faces to adapt them to be rocked in the act of reproducing the matter out upon the stencil. However, there is no article with which I am familiar that'is constructed so simply and economically as the one herein described. It should be noted that the outer faces of the blocks 5 are disposed at an upwardly and inclined angle so that the article may be easily grasped and efficiently guided by placing the thumb against one of its sides, the forefinger against the front face of one of the blocks and the remaining fingers of the hand against the other side wall. When thus held, the grip. is so firm that the duplicator may be applied firmly and accurately and in such fashion that no blurring or smearing of the design will result.

While the construction shown is well adapted h for the purposes set forth, it is to be understood that the invention includes within its perview such changes as come within the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A duplicator of the character described comprising a sheet of metal shaped to form a longitudinally arcuate perforate bottom and side walls, a pair of wooden blocks constituting end walls which lie between and are secured to the side walls and the bottoms of which blocks are only partially covered by the metallic bottom, a blanket stretched over said metallic bottom and fastened to the uncovered portions of said blocks, a stencil sheet overlying said blanket, and means upon the end walls for engaging said stencil sheet, said means comprising rods having a seating in transverse grooves formed in the outer faces of said blocks, and means for forcing said rods toward and into said grooves and for holding them in place with respect to said grooves.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein the means for securing the stencil sheet comprises rods having a seating in transverse grooves formed in the outer face of said blocks, bolts traversing said blocks, swinging keepers mounted upon said bolts adapted to be swung to and from overlying positions with respect to said rods, and members threaded upon the bolts adapted to tighten said keepers after they have been swung to engaging position over said rods.

3. A device of the character described comprising a sheet of metal shaped to form a perforate and longitudinally arcuate bottom and vertical imperforate side walls, a pair of wooden blocks seated between said bottom and side walls, one at least of said blocks having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, a blanket stretched over the perforate bottom and secured to said blocks, a stencil sheet over said blanket, the ends of which are disposed in transverse grooves formed in the lower portions of the front iaces of the said blocks, rods seated in said grooves and holding the ends of the stencil, said rods lying between and being held against endwise movement by the presence of the side walls, bolts traversing said blocks, and swinging keepers mounted upon said bolts and adapted to be swung into retaining position over said rods.

i. A device of the character described comprising a sheet of metal shaped to form a perforate and longitudinally arcuate bottom and vertical imperforate side walls, a pair of wooden blocks seated between said bottom and side walls, one at least of said blocks having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face, a blanket stretched over the perforate bottom and secured to said blocks, a stencil sheet over said blanket, the ends of which are disposed in transverse grooves formed in the lower portions of the front faces of the said blocks, rods seated in said grooves and holding the ends of the stencil, said rods lying between and being held against endwise movement by the presence of the side walls, bolts traversing said blocks, swinging keepers mounted upon said bolts and adapted to be swung into retaining position over said rods, and thumb nuts threaded upon said bolts and adapted to force said keepers against said rods.

5. A device of the character describe-d comprising a rocking frame having side and end walls, a perforate bottom, a blanket and a stencil sheet, means for holding said stencil sheet comprising a rod having a seating in a groove formed in one of the end walls, a bolt traversing the end wall, a keeper swingingly mounted upon said bolt and adapted to be swung into engaging position over said rod, and a thumb nut upon the bolt adapted to force the keeper toward the rod.

LEVI FOSS. 

